Me, staffing the Water Bar. Have a drink! Image courtesy of the Natural Resources Research Institutue.
We made it through another year of blogging, dear readers! It felt like I didn’t blog quite as frequently as during the past six other years of this blog, but I have enough content that search engine-directed visits keep the stats steady.
In fact, during 2019, the number of people visiting my blog almost doubled, going from 7,100 to 13,300, with over 15,400 views.
Here are the four most popular stories from this year. Why four? Because it’s a nice even number.
#1 Bellying up to the Water Bar – This post was connected to my job for a water research organization. We hosted a water bar, where people could taste water from different parts of the state. The event was designed to celebrate the importance of clean water. People mentioned in it shared the post, which accounts for its popularity. But I’d also like to think it’s also because people care about water.
#2 The Jayme Closs Case and the Importance of News Headlines – This was my rant about a local kidnapping case and the headlines it generated when the young lady was “found.” I thought the headlines should have read that she escaped her captor, instead. I Tweeted this opinion, which blew up the Twitterverse and freaked me out good, because I had only just started a personal account on that platform. Jayme seems to be recovering well from her ordeal, thanks to the support of her family and community. And Jayme, if you are ever ready to tell your side of the story, remember, I am here to help! (And a gazillion other enterprising writers, I bet.)
#3 Five Things to do in Freeport, Bahamas – Russ and I traded in the white snows of Minnesota for the white sands of the Bahamas last February. I must have been in an odd-numbered frame of mind, sharing five popular locations and activities to do there — from creating your own perfume, to wave riding for miles on the ocean.
#4 In Which my Writing Inspires Theft – This post offered a peek into the glamorous life of a local author. A lady I met in my church bathroom told me she liked my story on American martens that was in Lake Superior Magazine so much, she stole it out of her doctor’s office so she could send it to her grandchildren in Japan. High praise, indeed!
Thank you again for meandering with me, and Happy New Year wherever you may be . . .
Marie's Meanderings 
Hello.
I did find your blog, when you told one person about visiting Helsinki Sea Life. I should be ashamed, that I didn’t know anything about it. We lived in Helsinki until last autumn, when we moved to Espoo (13 minutes by train from Helsinki Central Railway Station). Maybe this due to the fact that until now, I have presented Finland from the south to the north and from the east to the west.
Blogging is interesting, I find it so. Meeting virtually interesting people, gorgeous photos around the world which inspire visiting to those places.
Happy upcoming New Year.
Thank you, Sartenada, for your comments on my other posts and this one. I was in Helsinki before I started blogging, so that’s why I don’t have any stories about it here. And I have lost my photos from that trip, so sad. You live in a beautiful city with much to offer. I “collect” aquarium visits during my travels — I love saltwater and freshwater creatures, so try to visit aquariums wherever I go. Huh, I should write a blog post about that some day!